Premier League clubs approve changes to associated party transaction rules
The proposed changes came into play after an independent tribunal found some aspects of the APT rules to be unlawful following Manchester City’s lawsuit.
Arsenal on Wednesday night edged London rivals Chelsea 2-1 (2-1 aggregate) to progress to the Carabao Cup finals, but Gunners midfielder Mohamed Elneny’s post-game caption on Instagram sparked a furore on social media, with many suggesting that he was taking a swipe at Alexis Sanchez.
Earlier in the week, Sanchez had completed a long-awaited move to arch-rivals Manchester United, bringing an end to a fractious saga that had been running for over a year.
After refusing to sign a new contract while pushing for a move away from the Emirates, Sanchez had reportedly alienated himself from the rest of his teammates, a charge Arsene Wenger repeatedly denied.
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Rumours of a dressing room divide continued to swirl, however, and Sanchez himself hit out at former Arsenal players turned pundits who had highlighted instances where Arsenal players had refused to celebrate Sanchez’s goals with the Chilean.
After almost joining Manchester City on deadline day in August, Sanchez somehow stayed in North London and was a shadow of his usual world-class self in the 2017-18 season, with many fans claiming his desire to play was simply not there.
Initially it seemed that the 29-year-old Chilean would depart a free agent in the summer of 2018, but as the winter transfer window opened on January 1, reports of City renewing their interest began to do the rounds once again.
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City officially lodged a bid for the wantaway winger but United stole a march on them by swooping in with wages that would make the Chilean the highest paid player in the Premier League.
The fact that they were offering Henrikh Mkhitaryan as a part of a swap deal strengthened their hand and Sanchez on Monday became the latest player to cross the great Arsenal-Manchester United divide.
Initially adored by the Gunners faithful, Sanchez irked many of them by choosing United over City, especially considering the fact that Pep Guardiola’s men are a lock to win the Premier League title this season.
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